30 Days of MD: Clayton Theriault

by Kevin Schaefer | September 13, 2020

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Day 13 of 30 Days of MD Topic: Advocating for Disability Through My Blog and Video Podcast This is @cognizantclay’s story: Hello everyone! My name is Clayton Theriault. I am 27 years old and from Ontario, Canada. I have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. My interests include sports, music, video games, and disability awareness, among others. I am a social butterfly and I really enjoy deep and meaningful conversations. I have always been interested in people, especially those in the disabled community. Far too often, people from the outside looking in see disabled individuals as different or incapable. In reality, people with disabilities are just as capable of accomplishing amazing things as non disabled people, they just do things in their own way. I have always enjoyed raising awareness for the disabled community. Being disabled myself, I have firsthand experience with being seen as different. It is a constant battle. However, I believe everyone with a disability should do their part and tell their stories in an open and honest way. Without communication and action, change is not possible. When Covid-19 hit, it became very apparent how often the disabled community gets overlooked. I decided to start a blog for disability awareness called Cognizant Clay. I host a video podcast called Hot Seat with Cognizant Clay, where I interview prominent figures in the disabled community. The main thing that has stuck out to me during my journey is how many amazing people are a part of the disabled community. I have interviewed several disabled people who have a lived experience. I have also interviewed a lot of non-disabled people who are allies of the disabled community. Some of my notable guests include Rick Mercer, Caroline Casey, Alexandre Bilodeau, David Shannon and Steve Dangle. I have already published 30 episodes and I have no intention of stopping any time soon. I now consider myself a disability advocate and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and continues to do so. Without a great support system, I wouldn’t be where I am today. #MDAwarenessMonth #MDAwareness #30DaysofMD

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